The Phoenix Saga Part 2: The Dark Shroud
The fourth episode of the third season of X-Men: The Animated Series. Characters Protagonists: *X-Men **Professor X **Cyclops **Jean Grey **Beast **Wolverine **Storm **Gambit **Jubilee *Lilandra Neramani *Phoenix Force *Moira MacTaggert *Sean Cassidy (first appearance) Antagonists: *Eric the Red *D'Ken Neramani *Juggernaut Others: *Peter Corbeau *Howard the Duck (only appearance) *Sabretooth (illusion) *Lady Deathstrike (illusion) *Deadpool (illusion) Plot Jean Grey, who volunteered to fly the shuttle the X-Men had stolen through a field of radiation, is slowly succumbing dying when the Phoenix Force manifests itself in the cockpit and comes to Jean's aid. Jean is able to guide the shuttle into the East River in New York. The shuttle starts to sink and water leaks into the area where the X-Men are in but Wolverine manages to make an exit for the team. Reaching the surface of the water, the team see Jean fly from the water, in a new costume and announce 'I am the Phoenix!'. Jean then falls into a coma. Transported to a hospital, Jean awakes and has no memory of what just happened, unable to recognise who or what the Phoenix is. Beast, wearing a Howard the Duck t-shirt, bumps into Cyclops and Professor X arguing about the mission. After the argument, the Professor goes to fly back to the mansion when he is hit by some form of energy which leaves his body unconscious and forming an evil, astral version of Xavier. The astral Xavier finds Wolverine on the subway and makes him think that he is fighting Sabretooth, Lady Deathstrike and Deadpool. After almost being hit by a train, Logan realises that it was just an illusion. Gambit and Jubilee are waiting in line at the cinema when the astral Xavier arrives and starts attacking them. Storm arrives and they fight the evil Xavier. After a while, the X-Men present realise they are the only ones who can see the Xavier and so they escape before the police can arrest them for causing damage. Astral Xavier later finds Jean and Cyclops at the hospital but Jean senses that it is only an astral form. Jean fires at the evil Xavier with a psychic bolt, ending his threat. finding the original Xavier, the team reunite with him while he explains that somehow his dark-side gained sentience. Meanwhile, footage of the team is being taken and sent to Eric the Red, who is in a ship orbiting the Earth. Wanting to find answers, Xavier flies off to Muir Island to meet up with Moira MacTaggert and her new boyfriend, Sean Cassidy. Xavier tries to call out to the psychic force that has been calling to him and she travels to him and is revealed to be Lilandra Neramani. She tells Xavier about the threat of the M'Kraan crystal but then Juggernaut storms into the room. Crew *Writers: Mark Edward Edens *Cast: **Cedric Smith: Professor X **Catherine Disher: Jean Grey **Norm Spencer: Cyclops **Alison Sealy-Smith: Storm **Alyson Court: Jubilee **Cathal J. Dodd: Wolverine **George Buza: Beast **Chris Potter: Gambit **Lawrence Bayne: Eric the Red **Camilla Scott: Lilandra **Lally Cadeau: Moira MacTaggert **Jeremy Ratchford: Sean Cassidy **Rick Bennet: Juggernaut **Unknown: Peter Corbeau **Unknown: D'Ken Notes *Previous Episode: The Phoenix Saga Part 1: Sacrifice *Next Episode: The Phoenix Saga Part 3: Cry of the Banshee *This episode first aired on September 6th, 1994 *The only X-Man not featured in this episode is Rogue